The Iceman Cometh
by John Frankenheimer
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Actor: Bradford Dillman, Fredric March, Jeff Bridges, Lee Marvin, Robert RyanDirector: John Frankenheimer
Brand: Kino International
Cinematographer: Ralph Woolsey
Producer: Edward Lewis
Producer: Ely A. Landau
Producer: Les Landau
Producer: Robert A. Goldston
Writer: Eugene O'Neill
Writer: Thomas Quinn Curtiss
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 239 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-04-01
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Model: 2762
Studio: Kino Video
Product features:
- ICEMAN COMETH, THE (DVD MOVIE)
DVD Reviews of The Iceman Cometh
DVD Review: Made For Cinema Stage Play
Summary: 5 Stars
Back in the early 1970's, a group called the American Film Theater conceived the idea of bringing the stage to larger audiences by filming theater plays with all-star casts. We all know plenty of stage productions that were turned into movies but they were adapted to the different medium. Sometimes the script was changed, usually the sets were greatly expanded beyond what the stage could accommodate, supporting casts quadrupled, etc. What the AFT intended was along the lines of many Shakespearian film productions where the focus was on the actors and the script rather than the action and the locations. I remember that there were a limited number of productions (14) that were filmed. I recall "Rhinoceros" by Ionesco (I think) but the one that caught my eye was "The Iceman Cometh" both for the play and for the cast.
The AFT productions, as I recall, were not intended for the general theater distribution. They were, instead, intended to be a special release for a limited set of venues. I saw "The Iceman Cometh" in Madison, Wisconsin in 1976. I was impressed enough by the film that I went out and read the play.
"The Iceman Cometh" has a rather complex message that tells the tale of a reformed alcohlic that revisits one of his hangouts to try and reform the dead-enders that inhabit the tavern. The opening scene lets us know just how down and out this clientele is; most of them are coming to in the morning at the chairs they passed out in the night before. Larry Slade (played by Robert Ryan) is the lone person who is awake besides the bartender. As the other come to, we see a group of people who have descended to the lowest point within their reach. The one thing they all look forward to is the arrival of Hickey who comes every year to celebrate Harry Hope's birthday. Hope is the ironically named owner of the tavern and is played by Frederick March. Hickey eventually arives but this time he is out to reform the bunch and get them to throw away their pipe dreams and face reality. The play deals with their attempts to folow his advice and their reaction to their efforts. It is also about Hickey's inability to comprehend his own advice. Is the message that turning a new leaf is easier said than done? "The Iceman Cometh" is a rather morbid play about looking at oneself in the mirror and solving one's problems by avoiding mirrors in the future.
The brilliance of this movie is in the outstanding acting. Special kudos go out to the three most recognizable names in the cast; Robert Ryan, Frederick March, and Lee Marvin who plays Hickey. Of the three, I would give the nod to Ryan if I had to pick the best preformance. However, John Frankenheimer deserves special recognition as well for directing for the stage while making it for film audiences. In many scenes, as the attention shifts from one group of characters to another, the other actors hold their poses in the background so as not to disturb the focus of the audience. That's how it's done on the stage and that's how it's done in "The Iceman Cometh". The set is nothing more than you would find on stage; we get the feel of Broadway in our own hometown and now, thanks the release of the DVD, we get that feel in our own living room. What a great concept and what a great production.
Description of The Iceman Cometh
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